Saluting Irvine's only Medal of Honor recipient

Nov. 10, 2013

Updated 9:49 p.m.

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2nd Lt. William E. Barber (2nd from left), posing with three other Marines of the 26th Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division who were also from Kentucky, in the Pacific Theater, October, 1944. Barber went on to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Maj. William E. Barber (left) posing with Maj. Mitchell Paige (right) at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, 1950's. Both Barber and Mitchell were awarded the the Medal of Honor, Barber for his actions in Korea and Mitchell for his actions at the battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Maj. William E. Barber, 1950's, shortly after returning from Korea and receiving the Medal of Honor. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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1st Lt. William E. Barber (right) congratulates two newer Marines, December, 1947. Barber went on to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Cpl. William E. Barber, early 1940's, prior to attending Officers Candidates School in Quantico, Va. Barber went on to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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1st Lt. William E. Barber (right) with his wife Ione, 1940's. Barber went on to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Col. William E. Barber (left) with Walter D. Ehlers (right). Barber and Ehlers were both recipients of the Medal of Honor, Barber during the Korean War, Ehlers during World War II. The two men remained close friends until Barber's death in 2002. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Col. William E. Barber (right) shaking hands with President John F. Kennedy, 1960's. Barber was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Col. William E. Barber (center) with other Marines at Camp Lejune, North Carolina, 1960's. Barber was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

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Kenneth A. Walsh, a former Santa Ana resident, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Donald Gary, a former Garden Grove resident, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Walter Ehlers receives the Medal of Honor on Dec. 19, 1944. He was cited for bravery in action in the days following the D-Day invasion of France. A native of Kansas, Ehlers moved to Buena Park in 1955. REGISTER FILE PHOTO, COURTESY WALT EHLERS

2nd Lt. William E. Barber (2nd from left), posing with three other Marines of the 26th Marine Regiment of the 5th Marine Division who were also from Kentucky, in the Pacific Theater, October, 1944. Barber went on to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea.COURTESY OF THE BARBER FAMILY

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military honor, reserved for those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

When William E. Barber was awarded the medal for his bravery in the Korean War, the Marine officer was already a battle-tested veteran of the Iwo Jima campaign during World War II and would go on to serve during the Vietnam War.

Following the end of his military career, Barber and his family settled in Irvine.

As the only Irvine veteran to have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the city honored his service by building the Col. Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park in 2000, two years before his death.

Today, he and other veterans are saluted for their service at the park next to city hall honoring his name. The service gets under way at 11 a.m.

Who was William E. Barber?

Born Nov. 30, 1919, in Dehart, Ky., William E. Barber enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940 and served until 1970.

Barber first saw combat during World War II and was wounded during the battle of Iwo Jima.

In 1950, he was sent to Korea, where he took part in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, known as the “Frozen Chosin” because of extremely low temperatures during the campaign.

While defending a mountain pass, Barber and his men were surrounded by the enemy but repulsed repeated assaults. When ordered to retreat, he refused and continued to encourage and inspire his men. Even after being wounded, he directed the battle from a stretcher.

For his gallantry in action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman in 1952.

Barber later served as a psychological operations officer in Vietnam and retired from the Marine Corps in 1970. He became a military analyst for Northrop Corp. in Anaheim, and his family settled in Irvine.

Barber's son, John, a retired builder, described his father as a calm and steady man who never had a gun in the house and never raised his voice.

Barber died April 19, 2002, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Irvine decided to honor his legacy by building the 42-acre Col. Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park, which was completed in June 2000.

Other Orange County Medal of Honor recipients

Nelson H. Holderman was a long-time resident of Tustin and enlisted in the Santa Ana unit of the California National Guard in 1916. During battle in the Argonne forest in France in World War I, Holderman was wounded three times but continued to fight and direct his troops. According to his Medal of Honor citation, Holderman rushed through enemy machine gun and shell fire while wounded, carrying two wounded men to safety. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1921. Holderman died in 1953 and is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, Calif.

Chris Carr lived in Huntington Beach for many years. During the Italian campaign in World War II Carr and his men were pinned down by German troops. Carr flanked the Germans, capturing five positions, killing eight and taking 22 prisoners. Carr was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. He died in 1970 and is buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery. Huntington Beach built a park in Carr’s honor in 1972.

Donald A. Gary was a resident of Garden Grove and served in the navy during World War II. When the USS Franklin was attacked by enemy aircraft near Kobe, Japan, about 300 men were trapped in a compartment. Gary helped them to safety, earning him the Medal of Honor in 1946. Gary died in 1977 and is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. In 1983, the U.S. Navy honored Gary by naming a guided missile frigate (USS Gary, FFG-51) after him.

Kenneth A. Walsh lived in Santa Ana following his career as a Marine pilot. During the World War II Solomon Islands campaign, although his F4U Corsair was hit, Walsh shot down two Japanese dive bombers and a fighter. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented him with the Medal of Honor in 1944. Walsh died in 1998 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Clarence B Craft was born and raised in Santa Ana and joined the army in 1944. At the battle of Okinawa, Craft charged up a Japanese-held hill, driving the enemy troops into a cave, where he threw several grenades, killing them. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. Craft died in 2002 and is buried at Fayetteville National Cemetery in Fayetteville, Ark.

Walter D. Ehlers isa current resident of Buena Park; he joined the army in 1940. Several days after the D-Day invasion at Normandy, France, Ehlers led his men in numerous charges against German machine gun nests. The next day, despite being wounded, he carried another wounded soldier to safety, returning to retrieve the automatic rifle the man had dropped. He refused evacuation for his wounds, instead returning to his squad. Ehlers was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1944. A Buena Park recreation center is named after him.

Tibor Rubin was born in Hungary in 1929. Of Jewish ancestry, Rubin was sent to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria during World War II, was liberated by U.S. troops and immigrated to the United States in the late 1940’s. He joined the army in 1950 and while serving in Korea, Rubin single-handedly slowed an enemy advance while defending a hill, allowing another unit to withdraw and helping to capture several hundred North Korean soldiers. Rubin was later wounded and captured by the Chinese. While in a prison camp, he sneaked out at night to find food for his fellow prisoners by breaking into enemy food storehouses and gardens. Rubin was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2005 by President George W. Bush.

John P. Baca is a former resident of Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa who served in the Vietnam War. While on a night ambush, Baca’s platoon came under heavy fire. After leading them to safety through a barrage of gunfire, Baca covered an enemy grenade with his helmet, and then threw himself atop it, saving the lives the other men. President Richard Nixon presented Baca with the Medal of Honor in 1971. The city of Huntington Beach also built a park bearing his name, which opened in 2002.

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